I went to go visit my father today. One of those absurdly sunny, clear April days full of green and warmth and lies. In January, when he had gone up to my sister Meg’s place outside Boston until we could get his care sorted out, it hadn’t been bad for a winter day. The whole winter hadn’t been, except for that morning when I had gotten a call at 6 a.m. from the Chatham Police that they had brought Dad home, ...

Welcomes Airport Scrutiny Editor: Leaders in our community should welcome and expect careful scrutiny of their statements, especially when those statements are made to influence public policy.  Challenging these statements is a public duty for all citizens especially when those statements undermine the operation of our public institutions.  I am proud and grateful to be in a country where free speech is all...

Last weekend, a Cape-based conservative political group staged a demonstration in Bourne to urge Governor Charlie Baker to begin lifting business closures and other restrictions designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Organizers argue that the Cape’s economy, and local families, can’t withstand the continued stress of these preventative measures. Protesters held signs promoting the hashtag #ReopenCapeCod. Most w...

A Plastic-free Earth Day Editor: One might think, why talk or think about environmental issues now, after all we are in a world crisis with COVID-19. But it is our natural environment, when healthy, that keeps us healthy. The toxic chemicals that we accept in our every day lives can stress our immune systems and make us vulnerable to disease. This week I watched a Frontline documentary on WGBH about the ...

Living with uncertainty is stressful. Life always has its share of unknowns; emergencies, unforeseen situations, sudden changes that are out of our control. But what's happening now is extraordinary, relatable only to measures taken during World War II, though the comparison is not exact. Then, the country was pulling together against a common enemy and was not divided along partisan lines. That's not the case to...

Schools Step Up During Crisis Editor: I want to express my congratulations to the administration and teachers of the Monomoy School District! They are amazing educators and they are dedicated to seeing that all students of the district are being educated. Being a retired teacher and wife of a retired school administrator, we are in awe of the time and effort that has been put into keeping students educat...

Last month, in what now appears to be an odd prescience of advice, I wrote a column on boredom, suggesting, among other things, that we crafty folk sew safety masks. What a difference a few weeks make! When I wrote that, we were nowhere near any social distancing or sheltering in place. As we are all too familiar with the downsides of COVID-19, let’s examine the creative ways in which people are coping, and the...

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” The words of Fred Rogers are still bringing us comfort, as they did when we were little. Each day’s headlines are difficult to read—they’re certainly difficult for us to write—and we’re bracing as a community for what is predicted to be the deadliest ph...

Next month's annual town meetings in local towns will be postponed. Exactly when they will be rescheduled must await developments in the coming days and weeks. Moderators now have the authority to postpone or continue annual sessions; newly filed state legislation likely to be approved soon will allow selectmen to reschedule meetings as late as June 30 or even later. Last week, Chatham selectmen voted to postpone...

The Importance Of Scooping Editor: Dear dog walkers, Of the things focusing our attention on personal, community and national health right now, a key one should be the health of the Cape Cod fresh water supply source. The Harwich watershed includes Thompson’s Field where human and canine family members exercise. Thompson’s Field is a woodland and field conservation area used year round. The Harwich Co...

Quite a few people flipped out when they saw a lot of out-of-state license plates on Lower Cape roads over the past two weeks. Yes, a lot of second homeowners fled here once the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Is that a reason to panic? No, so long as those from areas where the virus is more endemic keep to themselves for the 14 days recommended by state and local authorities. While there's anecdotal evidence that's no...

“When you’re down and out When you’re on the street When evening falls so hard I will comfort you I’ll take your part Oh when darkness comes And pain is all around”   Paul Simon wrote “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in 1969 and he and his partner, Art Garfunkel, released the song in January 1970. The song was a huge hit and stayed at number one on the pop charts for six weeks. It was also a s...